The latitude and longitude coordinates of Greenland are 72.0000°
N, 40.0000° W. Greenland is located in Northern
hemisphere, just slightly above North America.
The atmospheric cell that encompasses Greenland is the Polar cell in the
Northern Hemisphere. The prevailing wind
direction is from the Northeast, specifically from the North Polar area. Greenland is characterized by the polar
easterly wind belt. The main pressure
belt that Greenland is located on is the subpolar low pressure belt. Greenland is also located near the polar
front. This is an area that is characterized
by low pressure and is the boundary between the polar cell and the ferrel cell;
it is also where tropical air converges with cold polar air causing a large
incline in temperature.
Greenland is located on the subpolar low, this is where
surface air converges and rises as a result there are many storms and clouds in
this region. The Northern part of Greenland,
because it is located in the polar high is characterized by cold and dry
air. The Southern part of Greenland,
because it’s located in the polar low, is characterized by warm and moist air. The prevailing winds that are common in Greenland
are the polar easterlies that come from the northeast, as a result cold air
moves across Greenland making the average temperature sub-freezing. Windward winds are also common in
Greenland. Since Greenland is located
near the polar front this area is characterized by an incline in temperature.
Greenland is characterized by many mountain ranges some
include: Gunnbjorn's Fjeld, Mont Forel and Mount Patuersoq. Valley winds, katabatic winds, Chinook winds,
Santa Ana winds, and Desert Winds are all common winds associated with Mountain
ranges. Greenland’s mountain ranges
however, only experience Chinook winds, katabatic winds and valley winds. The two types of coastline breezes are land
breezes and sea breezes. The most common
type of coastline breeze in Greenland is sea breeze. These winds are very strong in the morning,
and common in the fjord region, a narrow inlet with steep cliffs.
*Info retrieved from:
South Africa is almost the exact opposite of the pressure system that Greenland has. It has a High while Greenland has a Low. South Africa experiences mostly dry heat in the High pressure area and has a desert because it is located at 30 degrees latitude. Instead of North East, South Africa experiences North West winds. The winds are warm and will never be as cold as the wind experienced in Greenland since Greenland is located near the polar region. Since both countries have a coastline they can experience both land and sea breezes.
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